This is a recipe that I, and I alone, have created. What's in it, you say? One half bottle of red wine and half an IPA, onions, garlic, potato, carrots, beef stock, salt, pepper, and bacon. Of course there's duck and elk too, fried then added to let simmer for 5 hours. I blended the whole deal and added a bit of cream before serving. It's a perfect winter dish. Make yourself some. We are in full migration, as it turns out, but I'm hardly moving. There's groups of threes and fours overhead. Henry keeps his eyes peeled.

Back in the day, I'd jump-shoot a pond like this. But years of hunting ducks have instilled an ethos in me that resists the easy shots. We opted to put out the decoys and see if we could call them back later. We ended up with just two widgeon and a bunch of busted opportunities. The problem with widgeon is that they're gullibale, incredibly beautiful, and fleeting. When you shoot a pair you are thrilled, then a bit sad becasue we're talking about about 8 ounces of meat. It crosses your mind that a live widgeon is worth far more than a dead one. But it was a great day, December 9th, the coldest week we've had in years. I hope some of the ducks stick around. Maybe we'll get a crack at the ones we let get away. Henry, it turns out, doesn't mind the ice and cold water. He sees the ducks and geese overhead and sort of glares.

Holy shit, what happned to the nice fall we were having? It was -31 degreees here in Casper this week. I heard geese overhead all night on Wedenesday. I'd leave too, but it's duck season. We bagged a few greenheads before the serious weather got here. We're going out today only becasue it's a balmy 27 and my dogs are tired of being in the house. This summer I heard two guys talking about how cold it can be and still put your dog in the water. I had never even given it a thought. This photo, taken last seaosn, shows Rocket on one of those -20 degree days. His hair freezes and he soldiers on. I'm thinking Henry might not like it so much. But the ducks are here and I know what to do. Before I set out I'm going to put a pot of elk/mallard stew on the stovetop. It's a receipe that calls for five cups of red wine and three poinds of oinions. And, of course, ducks.